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Endorses Goldwater
The race
One state Senate seat is at stake in Michigan's Senate District 12, for a four-year term. The incumbent, Kevin Hertel (Democratic), is seeking re-election. The district's 2024 presidential baseline was R+7.2 (Wikipedia results summary). The confirmed general-election roster, from the Michigan Department of State candidate list, is: John Goldwater (Republican); Kevin Hertel (Democratic).
This is one of the two Senate districts the Republican State Leadership Committee has named as likely to determine control of the Michigan Senate, where Democrats hold a 20–18 majority (Washington Examiner, 2026, reporting the RSLC memo). Chamber control itself is rated a toss-up by Sabato's Crystal Ball (January 22, 2026) and Lean Democratic by State Navigate (August 27, 2026), per the predictions table compiled on Wikipedia.
John Goldwater (R), nominee. John Goldwater is the Republican nominee on the Department of State general-election list.
Pros: The Republican nominee in a race against a party-line Democrat; aligned with the values this publication exists to advance. Cons: No proven flaw meeting this publication's standard was located in the compiled record; where the nominee has not previously served, the record is thin by definition — that is unproven, not a demerit. The flaw, plainly: None proven was located in the compiled record.
Kevin Hertel (D), incumbent. Kevin Hertel is the Democratic incumbent on the Department of State general-election list.
Pros: A sitting incumbent whose constituents know the record. Cons: No documented break with the Democratic Party toward this publication's values was located in the compiled record — no Manchin-test break. In the Senate, a Democratic organizing vote is heavy: it carries chamber control and the judicial pipeline with it. The flaw, plainly: Enabler class, not extremist — a reliable party-line vote, which is the standing reason the exception for a Democrat is not earned here.
OUR CALL
We endorse John Goldwater (R) — as unproven, and on watch. No proven flaw was located in the Republican nominee's compiled record, and he has not previously served in this office, so the endorsement carries the unproven form: support, with the record to be watched. The Democratic incumbent is a party-line vote with no Manchin-test break located — and in the Senate, that organizing vote is the heaviest one on this ballot.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Michigan Department of State, 2026 general election candidate list (November 3, 2026), as reproduced in Michigan 2026 General Election Guide, Michigan Republican Primary (state record checked October 8/15, 2026) — confirmed general-election roster, parties, filing methods — https://michiganrepublicanprimary.com/michigan-2026-general-election-guide/
- Wikipedia, "2026 Michigan Senate election" — results summary: incumbent, incumbent party, open-seat markers, 2024 presidential baseline by district — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Michigan_Senate_election
- Washington Examiner (2026), reporting the Republican State Leadership Committee memo — Senate Districts 12 and 35 named as likely to determine control of the Michigan Senate — https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/4709295/republicans-risk-losing-2028-redistricting-battle-before-begins/
- Record gaps: no district-level legislative voting records, campaign-finance figures, or biographies beyond the offices and facts printed above were verified for the nominees in this district at this sourcing depth; no competitiveness rating for this individual district was published in the sources consulted (chamber-level ratings only)
- Standing check: no pedophile-association material meeting the proven standard (knowing association with or defense of a convicted pedophile) was located for any candidate on this ballot
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.
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